A man from Washington is being called a hero after he ran into a burning house to save his eight-year-old niece.
According to reports, 20-year-old Derrick Byrd suffered second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms after rushing into the house when he realized his niece was trapped inside.
Speaking to KOMO-TV, Byrd said: “Even though I got burnt, I didn’t really care. I’d rather get burnt than her. She’s young and still has so much ahead of her. She’s a good kid.”
The fire broke out in a home in Aberdeen, Washington, while Derrick Byrd and six other family members were inside, including his sister Kayla and her three children.
When the fire spread, Byrd helped his nephews, Junior and Royce, jump out of a second-story window to safety. However, his eight-year-old niece Mercedes was too scared to jump after watching her mother, Kayla, fall from the roof.
Without hesitating, Byrd ran back into the burning house to save Mercedes. He quickly felt the flames burning him.
“I could feel it burning me,” he said.
Byrd wrapped his shirt around Mercedes’ face to protect her from the smoke and carried her out of the house as fast as he could.
Despite suffering burns, Byrd said he’d do it all again if needed.
“I’d run back in there and do it again, even if I got burnt worse or died,” he said.
When people called him a hero, Byrd humbly responded, “I wouldn’t say I’m a hero. I just wasn’t going to let my niece and nephews die.”
A Heartwarming Tale of a Lost Toy and Kindness
Hearing a moving story that serves as a reminder of the kindness and generosity of people is a pleasant break from the apparently never-ending barrage of bad news. A touching story shared on Facebook by Helen Lupton has touched a lot of people.
Helen and her son Blake had visited the Pleasureland Amusements arcade in Whitby, Yorkshire. It was an amazing day filled with laughter. When they arrived home, though, they discovered that Blake’s beloved purple sloth toy, Slothy, had been left behind.
In an attempt to find the lost toy, a devastated Helen messaged the location. However, the staff informed her that nothing had been reported to lost and found. Blake was crushed because it seemed like there was no hope left.
Helen searched for a replacement toy but was unsuccessful in her mission to put things right. Then out of the blue, she received a message from Pleasureland Amusements. Someone had found Slothy!
Blake’s face lit up with pleasure as Helen broke the good news to him. Since they weren’t local, she asked if they might send Slothy back to them. A few days later, a package appeared, after the personnel kindly gave them permission.
The bundle included a number of incredibly heartfelt surprises. Aside from Slothy, there were two new toys and three containers of goodies. An emotional note inside the gift said, “Hello, we thought Pablo (as we called him before we knew he was Slothy) would get scared during his journey, so we sent him with a friend and some snacks to share with you when he got back home safe and sound.” To prevent him from getting bored, we gave him a fidget pop. I hope Pablo, also known as Slothy, stays safe going forward.
Touched by the care and friendliness of the Pleasureland staff, Helen shared the photos on Facebook. She encouraged others to visit the Whitby arcade and expressed her gratitude for the reminder that there are still nice, honest, kind, and gentle people in the world.
Hundreds more comments were left as the item was immediately seen by many more. A few people responded to the story emotionally; one individual even claimed it made them cry. Employees at Pleasureland were praised profusely; one commenter rated them “five gold stars.”
This charming tale serves as a powerful reminder that goodness endures in the world even in the face of adversity. Narratives such as this instill hope and restore our faith in humanity.
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